The Alchemist

“Everyone on earth has a treasure that awaits him…But, unfortunately, very few follow the path laid out for them- the path to their Personal Legends, and to happiness. Most people see the world as a threatening place, and, because they do, the world turns out, indeed, to be a threatening place. “

　　 —Paulo Coelho

“I failed my way to success.”

　　 — Thomas Edison

http://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/The_Alchemist_(novel)

This book starts off with a shepherd boy named Santiago who had a dream about the Pyramids of Egypt. Seeking help from a gypsy, she revealed that he was to find treasure in Egypt. Wondering how he was going to get there, Santiago met an old king who introduced him to the idea of a “personal legend”; it is the reason you are here on Earth and the reason you are born. This book recounts the journey of how a shepherd boy realized his personal legend.

The old king told Santiago that everyone has a personal legend. It is like the Chinese saying “If I was born, then I must have a useful gift.” Everyone is here for a reason and is born to contribute something. Our personal legends could come in a form of a dream, an ambition or a goal. However, many people can’t realize their personal legends because they never tried, caused by fears.

In the book, it mentions a baker who’s dream is to travel and explore the world, but he stays in his town because he is afraid that the people would mock him, after all, bakers are more important than travelers.

When Santiago fell in love with a girl named Fatima, he was about to quit his personal legend to stay with her, to make sure she was safe. Although he did not fear failure, he feared that by leaving the person he loved, he would hurt her, and therefore debated with himself whether or not he would continue his journey.

Once Santiago worked for a crystal merchant whose dream is to visit the holy city of Mecca, but he is afraid that the city wouldn't be as he expected and he would be disappointed. He is afraid that if his dream were realized, he wouldn't have any more reason to keep on living. He also tells Santiago that he is afraid of change. He isn't sure about what was going to happen if he fulfilled his dream.

The book also touches on “beginner’s luck” which means that at the beginning, it is easier to have small successes, however, as we journey through our personal legends, the Spirit of the World will test us to see if we mastered the lessons we learned along the way. When facing these challenges, we usually back down.

Once, when there was a competition for Urban Voices, a poetry competition for elementary and middle school students and presented with the chance, I instantly saw myself sweating over my poem day and night. Daunted by this, I refused to participate, saving myself from the trouble of writing a poem, and also losing a chance at winning.

When confronted by the fact that he had to travel the desert, Santiago had second thoughts on travelling finding his personal legend. It could result in his death and he was in unfamiliar territory. On top of it all, there was talk about tribal wars in the desert. Yet he was still capable of overcoming this fear and continuing on with his personal legend.

In the story, Santiago’s sheep is a metaphor for normal people, or people who didn’t realize their personal legends. They are content with their lives, just grazing. They are satisfied with their peaceful lifestyles. They dream of having so much more, but are fine if they don’t get it.

How many times have we looked at someone who was richer, smarter or more talented that we are with envy? Yet, even experiencing these feelings, we do nothing to change that fact.

Through the journey of realizing his personal legend, Santiago was able to learn about the Soul of the World and how to overcome obstacles. Perhaps, as the story of Santiago, everyone can find and achieve their own personal legends.

"There is one great truth on this planet: whoever you are, or whatever it is that you do, when you really want something, it’s because that desire originated in the soul of the universe. It’s your mission on earth… To realize one’s Personal Legend is a person’s only real obligation. All things are one. And when you really want something to happen, the whole universe conspires so that your wish comes true."

Kidnapped by Choice

In Greek mythology, Persephone is Demeter and Zeus’ daughter. Demeter is the goddess of crops and the fertility of the world. One day, as Persephone, a beautiful maiden, was picking flowers in Crete, Hades’ horses and chariot hurtled out of the ground and had her kidnapped. He had chosen Persephone to be his wife and the queen of the underworld.

No one wanted to pass on the news to Demeter, and Zeus did not wish to bring offence to his brother, Hades. 

When Demeter noticed her missing daughter, she began searching for her beloved, and ignored her duties as a goddess. Crops failed to grow and there were no births of birds, fish, animals, no one. The humans prayed to the gods for fortune, and when they were on the verge of extinction, Zeus finally decided to tell Demeter. 

Zeus sent Hermes to tell Demeter the news and Hermes told her where her daughter had gone. In order to be able to leave the underworld, one mustn’t eat or drink anything from the underworld. Unfortunately, Persephone ate 3 (some say 4 or 6) pomegranate seeds. After heavy bartering and bargaining, Persephone was allowed to go back to the human world – on the condition where she must return to Hades for as many months as the eaten seeds.

In most versions of this myth, Persephone was indeed captured by brute force, but according to some other versions, she chose to go down with Hades herself. Perhaps she enjoyed her life with her new husband and her new kingdom. There is one myth which tells that Persephone trapped Theseus and Pirithous, two mortals who ventured into the underworld to rescue her. She stuck them to a golden chair and served them a splendid delish, therefore cursing and binding their souls to the underworld. In some lesser known myths, Persephone seems rather content with her life as the queen of the underworld, and was ready to protect it from intruders. She might’ve even been eager to return to the darkness after her time allowed dwelling on Earth.

Perhaps, both these versions prove true. Persephone is often depicted as a victim of Hades, snatched away forcefully. Although maybe during the time which Demeter searched desperately for her, she began to grow accustomed to her new surroundings. Since she figured that she wouldn’t be able to leave the underworld, Persephone decided to settle in and make a living there. Often, changes just need to be accepted, so perhaps later on, Persephone chooses to stay with Hades and soon began to love her new kingdom, new powers, and new realm of darkness.

“After all, it is out of darkness that the new life of spring emerges, out of dark soil that spring bulbs send their green shoots, and out of the hidden womb that babies push their way” – Classical Mythology: Myths and legends of Ancient Greece and Rome. Persephone possibly enjoyed living in the underworld instead of dreading it.

At first glance, new things seem dangerous and uncertain. They have unknown, unforeseen consequences and/or profits. It is a gamble. Often are people blinded by their comfort zones and paradigms, and refuse to see things with a new light. It is only after accepting the change, will the wholly truth and benefits come up.

This myth is commonly told from the perspective of a despairing mother, Demeter; it is told with her sorrow. What would the story be like – what would the scenario be – if it were not Demeter’s point of view, but Persephone’s? Did she dread the underworld so, or did she accept it?

历史文化名城 · 阆中 · 孔家大院 ( 1 )

The Langzhong city (阆中), situated in the Sichan province of China, is a ancestral location of my family. Descending from my mother's forefather, Confucius, the 66 generation of the Kong line resided in this particular city. This old house has been constructed for roughly 300 years, every carve embossed on the wall containing the history and culture of our ancestry.

http://www.kong.org.cn/bbs2/a/a.asp?B=45&ID=4184
作者：韩星

在四川北部的嘉陵江边，有一个历史文化名城——阆中。阆中得名远在两千四百多年以前，“武王既克殷，以其宗姬封于巴”，“后治阆中”（华阳国志 巴志》）。秦统一中国建县至今，其城区所在地常常为为州、郡、府所在，现在为四川阆中市（地级市）。这里历代为川北军事战略重镇，是汉代以来是一个天文学中心，李淳风、袁天纲、张飞的墓地就在这里。

在这里出生、活动过的历史人物很多，如汉“三侯”范目、蜀将马忠、汉桓侯张飞、大诗人杜甫、元稹、陆游、以及现代史上的李先念、徐向前等曾经带领红军转战在阆中及其周边地区。文物古迹也很多，有府县两级的文庙、文昌庙、明清贡院，孔家祠堂等——这是儒家的遗迹，还有开元寺、北崖寺、大佛寺、圆觉寺等寺庙——这是佛教的遗迹，还有巴巴寺、清真寺等——这是伊斯兰教的遗址，可以说是一个多元宗教及文化交汇的地方，这与其地理位置有密切关系。

孔子后裔“四川阆中支”的来源是这样，据《孔子世家谱》记载，“四川阆中支”最早的分支先祖为孔子48代嫡长孙“衍圣公”孔端友的胞弟孔端操。南宋建炎元年（公元1127年）金兵南侵，宋高宗仓促南迁。次年，孔端友亦南迁扬州。其弟孔端操仍然留在曲阜守庙，这便是孔氏南北两宗的开始。后52代孔之升从曲阜迁居陕西华原（今陕西耀县）。清康熙十六年（公元1677年）65代孔衍康奉朝廷之命，入川平吴三桂叛乱，许多孔系子弟战死沙场，孔衍康也为国捐躯，遗体运回阆中，安葬在较场坝。四年后平叛结束，66代孔兴石即定居阆中，他的两个儿子的后裔就是今天毛家巷孔姓和屏江街孔姓。孔姓家族在阆中城内修有多处大院，修民国谱时阆中支在世男性为286人，现在估计近两千人，子孙遍布国内和海外。

从清代以来，四川阆中支不乏杰出人物，如反袁司令孔庆宝；台湾清华大学教授孔莜芳，现定居美国；孔庆庚，阆中中学的创始人，曾任绵阳专区副专员、四川省政协委员；孔繁林，曾任阆中东风中学校长；孔繁成，四川华西医科大学副校长；孔庆林，重庆医科大学教授；孔繁涛，重庆市委政策研究室副主任；孔繁庚，中国航空航天专家，四川省人大7至8 届常委；孔祥金，中国公路专家，中国首条高速公路——京塘高速主要设计师；孔祥璞，四川成南高速公路建设总公司办公室主任、工会主席。

宁海宪宁
http://www.kong.org.cn/bbs2/a/a.asp?B=45&ID=4184



http://www.0817lz.com/forum/thread-7342079-1-1.html
孔家大院为阆中古城第一个对外开放的古民居，为孔子第66代孙孔兴时所建。孔兴时时任川北镇标左营守备（相当于现在军分区司令员）现阆中市所有孔姓（除近几十年从外地迁来个别孔姓外）均为孔兴时后裔。这支孔子后裔在孔子世家中称“四川阆中支”

据“孔子世家谱”记载：四川阆中支最早的分支先祖为孔子第51代嫡长孙“衍圣公”孔元措（金章宗明昌二年，1191年封为衍圣公）的胞弟安远大将军】武昌节度判官孔元綋。孔元綋的次子，52代孔之升为金代进士，任甘肃平凉符知府，异地为官，八百年前从山东曲阜迁居陕西华原（今陕西耀县），后54代孔思谟（驻防定边卫千户）又迁居平凉瓦店驿白草坪。清康熙十六年（1677年）65代孔衍唐（康熙皇帝亲封昭武都尉，正五品），同弟孔衍虞（诰封武德骑尉、正五品）奉朝廷之命，入川平息吴三桂叛乱，平叛结束后即定居阆中。孔衍唐的第二个儿子66代孔兴时修建了本院，本院至今已有三百多年历史。

本院坐北朝南，呈品字形结构，进大门是街门道，中间两扇平时不开，走两边侧门。红白喜事、逢年过节、贵客临门，中门和二门同时打开。走进中门是门厅，可接待一般客人（贵客在里面大厅接待），二门是古城院落中仅有的几个保存最完好的。进二门是一天井，天井东西两边是书房（即厢房），天井上面是堂屋，堂屋两边是正方各两间，正房两边是耳房，书房与正房间的街檐通道处有小门，进入东西两边花厅。现对外开放的孔家大院只是中间主体部分，占地800多平方米，其中建筑面积500多平方米。两边院落现为民居，仅两边院落即占地700多平方米。整个孔家大院占地两千多平方米。

中华人民共和国第一任副主席张澜先生和著名学者章伯钧、马亮等在抗战期间居住过本院。新中国成立后，本院长期作党政机关领导***宿舍，原四川省副省长刘纯夫任阆中县委书记时长期在本院居住。近十年来有多部电影、电视剧在本院拍摄。效果很好。

孔氏家族在阆中是个大家族，一百多年前即有“刘、孔半城”之称。虽然大多数早迁居外地，但回来寻根问祖的人不少，他们中不乏杰出人才，比如三十岁成为少年大学生，现为美国约翰.霍普金斯大学博士、教授的孔祥轩，有台湾新竹清华大学教授孔筱芳，有中国航空航天专家孔繁庚，医学专家孔繁成，摄影、书画艺术家孔繁有，金融专家孔繁胜，公路专家孔祥金等，他们在各自的工作岗位中，发挥着重要的作用。

在绿荫怀抱下的孔家大院，有古老宽阔的街道，将以它古朴典雅、厚重的传统文化、名人效应，迎来更多的中外游客。

http://www.0817lz.com/forum/thread-7342079-1-1.html

Science Fair Project

Torus: Chapter 7

Eric Norzick gave his hair one last run through with his comb. Turning to face his full-length mirror, he admired himself. He had put on his best suit and tie and he went out to buy a new pair of leather dress shoes. He hoped to make a good impression.  

If only I wasn’t Eric the Miscalculator, he thought grimly to himself.

Anthony Norman had emailed him back the other night and it was all Eric could do to scream, “Yes, he replied!” and run around the streets like a madman. He was sure that Anthony would just brush his offer, after all he Anthony was well aware of Steve’s plan and trusted Steve.

Like everyone else in the world, Eric thought glumly.

Eric had an eerie feeling that something was not going to go as planned with the Wubble. His gut feeling worsened as he kept on studying the asteroid. It was just so strange! It was like nothing he had ever seen before.

“Hello Mr. Norman,” Eric practiced his speech, “As you know, I am here today to discuss about the asteroid Theio”. Eric looked down at his script; he had messed up again. Sighing he restarted.

“Hello Mr. Norman. I am here today regarding Operation Wubble,” he said correcting his mistake. He looked down at his watch. He still had three hours before the black BMW pulled up at his front door and take him to his certain failure. He picked up his speech and sighed, facing imaginary Anthony Norman.

“You have probably been informed about the construction of the Wubble…”

His wife came in and placed a cup of tea and a platter of cookies on the side table.

“Dear, don’t worry about it. Mr. Norman will take you seriously,” she sighed

“The Wubble isn’t prone to mistakes,” Eric muttered to himself, ignoring his wife.

Thirty minutes left before he had to leave

Eric’s pulse was beginning to race and he began to feel his throat tightening, a symptom of nervousness. He had to shake of his image of being the Miscalcalculator. He had asked ever scientist, astronomer, mathematician even the renowned George Wang to check his calculations. Perhaps if he looked professional enough and if he had accurate calculations, Anthony would take his advice. Of course Anthony had to now some of Eric’s slip ups but maybe not enough to know why he was nicknamed the Miscalculator. Maybe he still had a chance. Eric was startled out of his thoughts by a car horn blaring in his driveway.

Now or never, Eric thought as he stepped inside the car.

Mexycan Grill was Eric’s favorite restaurant. He went there every other week and he and the manager of the restaurant became quick friends. He had made special reservations in the largest room, overlooking the water fountain and the rainbow flowerbeds. He hoped that it would impress Anthony.

Anthony Norman was a tall and thin man. His deep brown hair waved over his forehead and behind his ears. He had thin eyebrows and a large forehead. He had a set of thoughtful eyes with short lashes. He had a pointed nose and his lips were pressed in a thin line.

Eric entered the cozy room and spotted Anthony, with his tight lips and crossed arms. Eric’s throat instantly tightened. He felt as if he was an uninvited lamb who wandered into a lion feast. He swallowed hard and forced himself to smile.

“Hello Mr. Norman,” Eric began, and to his disappointment, he sounded high and squeaky. What was his next line again? Eric’s hear began to race and his face warmed as he saw his face warmed as he watched his only chance slipping away.

He breathed.

“As you know, I am her today regarding Operation Wubble,” Eric began, discreetly wiping his sticky palms.

“Well…uh… you have probably been informed about the, uh, blask, I mean blast of the Wubble,” Eric stammered; he flushed at his stuttering.

Anthony only nodded.

“Well,” Eric continued, “Although Wubble is very likely to avoid the disaster, it isn’t completely fool proof. Theio is a strange asteroid, it is composed of almost entirely ice, and therefore it is very fragile. However, when this asteroid enters the ozone layer, it would harden. The only way to change Theio’s course is to hit the small piece of compact dirt on one side of the asteroid,” Eric explained and began demonstrated how the dirt packed area would be facing away from the Wubble once it reached the comet. He hoped Anthony was soaking it all in. He glanced at Anthony and was enraged to see Anthony picking at his plate. He wasn’t even listening.

“Sir, this asteroid will destroy our world! Although much faith is put into the Wubble, we should-,” Eric was cut off when Anthony spoke up.

“I have complete trust in Steve, I am sure his plan would work. Besides, if we were to run away like you proposed, how would we manage? We have billions of people to evacuate, and there is nowhere enough resources and manpower to build such a vast number of spacecrafts. Furthermore, how are you certain that these spacecrafts won’t collide with anything? The closest planet that can sustain life is in another galaxy, that’s thousands of light years away. Wubble will work. The team has already found a solution to all these possible hazards. There is no need for a backup plan,” Anthony said calmly, while taking another bite of his taco.

No need for a backup plan?! Eric boiled, Our entire race is at stake here! How can he just sit there eating tacos when an asteroid is on a collision course with us right now?
“Sir! I understand that you trust Wubble and Steve’s plan is very unlikely to fail but if that is the case and we don’t prepare for it, than that doesn’t leave us with much time. I am not suggesting that we put off Steve’s plan, but an only saying that we need to find a backup plan. No one is completely sure Wubble will succeed. The only other time we tried using the Wubble, it failed. Even though our technology is now much more advanced than it was 20 years ago, we never tested the improved Wubble. Going on with Operation Wubble without a backup plan would be too dangerous! Sir, the entire planet is at stake here! We need to act now!” he tried forcing reason into Anthony’s head, anticipating that this would take all afternoon.

Anthony sipped his drink, clearly thinking about something. Eric hoped it was about the backup plan.

“I see you have clear feelings on Operation Wubble, but we still must put all our manpower to building the Wubble.

Eric opened his mouth, but Anthony raised his hand.

“However, I agree that we are putting too much faith in the Wubble. I am giving you permission to select a small team to work on this backup plan, but it must not interfere with Operation Wubble. Understand?” Anthony finished.

Eric nodded, almost giddy. It seems that the world could be saved after all.

Torus: Chapter 6

A week after the decision was made, Eric Norzick, a junior researcher of S.P.A.C.E., strolled into Steve's office.

"Hey, Steve? Maybe as most of the engineers work on the Wubble, we could have a few of them create spacecrafts and follow George's idea. You know, just in case the Wubble doesn't succeed."

Steve stared at Eric.

"Tell me, just how is my own invention supposed to fail?" Steve questioned defiantly.

Eric sighed heavily, then dropped a pile of papers on Steve's desk.

"Look," he said, pointing to a diagram. "Once the Wubble hits, or makes impact with the surface, the force will cause the asteroid to crack and break. In other words, we'll have 2 pieces of the asteroid pummeling at us, maybe even more."

He pointed at a few more diagrams and photos, explaining how even the slightest impact will split the asteroid. Then, he looked up at Steve and weighed his next sentence. 

"Theio is not a pure asteroid, it is half comet, half asteroid. What I mean is that Theio is an asteroid, but made of varieties of ice, like water, methane, carbon dioxide, and ammonia ice, similar to a comet. Comets only have a bit of dirt mixed in, whereas Theio contains a lot. Strange enough that it is half comet, but it is even stranger. Only one part of the asteroid is dirt packed. The dirt isn't mixed with the ice, it is compact.

"The only way for the Wubble to make contact with the asteroid without splitting it, is to land lightly on the mass of dirt. Even so, my calculations show that by the time the Wubble gets there, the side with the harder surface will be facing the opposite direction of the Wubble. When it then orbits around, 2 years would've passed, making us at danger. What if it doesn't succeed? Would you rather lose money or lives? I'm not opposing your idea, it's just ... well a backup plan. So if it fails, we'll have a head start."

After Steve was able to shoo Eric out of his office as nice as possible, Steve had thought it over and over again in his head, but he had still rejected his idea. Eric was a good astronomer, but his calculations weren't always accurate. When Eric showed Steve the fragments of the "varieties of ice", it only looked like dark craters on the asteroid. Steve didn't believe a word he said, even with all the "diagrams" to prove his idea. The Wubble doesn't fail. Not this time. This time, the Wubble will work.

Wow, it's just like déjà vu! I remember George's long speech that made no sense, just like Eric's! Steve thought and sighed. Having had a busy day, he finally relaxed. 

Eric stormed back into his house. Though Steve said something about 'having no need for a backup', Eric was sure that Steve thought his calculations were wrong. How come no one would at least have a bit of trust in him, or calculate it themselves? 

But no! No one would believe Eric the Miscalculator, Eric raged. Well, I'll show them!

He decided to email his big boss, the founder of S.P.A.C.E., Anthony Norman to explain his idea. He wrote:

Good evening Mr.Anthony, 

Tomorrow at 12:00, please meet me at mexycan grill if you are available. very urgent, concerning asteroid theio. sorry for any inconvenience. 

please consider,

eric.

If no one else will listen to him, then Anthony might have the brain to. He hoped that Anthony would listen, for that might turn out to be the only way of escape. 

When Eric fell back in his bed, asleep, a new massage popped up in his inbox.